


Same Song, Different Verse

by jcrowquill



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Porn with Feelings, clones in love, friendship times ten, i don't think we're in love because it's not like the movies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 17:42:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8455789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcrowquill/pseuds/jcrowquill
Summary: Cody and Rex have certain ways of doing things, certain ways of greeting each other when they meet again after time apart.  After another close brush with death, things don't quite fit together right at first.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kristsune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristsune/gifts).



Most of the time, the 501st and the 212th were deployed on missions with little overlap, often star systems apart; however, the fact that their respective Generals were close friends and a former Master-Padawan pair meant that the two units had more contact than almost any others currently on active duty in the galaxy.   All the same, their respective COs didn’t see each other as often as they would have liked.  Though they were often kept apart for standard weeks at a time, it wasn’t in either of them to complain; they were soldiers and anything other than their duty to their men and the Republic was secondary.

That didn’t change the fact that there were certain rituals they always shared on meeting again, ones that even their men had come to unconsciously recognize.  They were never obvious - that would have been unprofessional - but they were as fastidious in their observations of these conventions as they were of military protocol.

They would let their armored knuckles click against each other, hands brushing casually as they walked side-by-side in perfect step.  They would exchange a brief volley of snappy comments, ones that had been worn smooth at the edges and almost meaningless after so much repetition.   Whose rank was higher, a mere captain of the elite 501st or a  _ common _ clone commander?  How do you keep your hair so blonde and your armor so clean,  _ captain?   _ As they walked into Rex’s bunk, Cody would reach up and skim his gloved fingers across the nape of Rex’s neck, just above the seal of his undersuit and just below the squared edge of his hairline.

They would talk calmly, not referencing the light contact between them or the relief they felt at being close again.  Cody would sit on the edge of Rex’s bed and methodically unclip the pieces of his thin armor as Rex, sitting at his small captain’s desk, would tidily repair the scrapes and scratches in the painted markings on Cody’s helmet.   _ What did you do,  _ **_Commander_ ** , _ fall flat on your face?   _ And as Rex came near to retrieve the other discarded plastoid shells to check them over, Cody would trick him into leaning close enough to steal a kiss, and it went gracelessly from there until the two wound up panting, wrapped around each other in dire need of the refresher but unwilling to move.

These things were always the same.  

Except this time, after a two month absence Rex was out of step and his tone was flat and humorless.  

Cody tried his usual quips, but when Rex glanced over at him he might as well have been staring into his T-visor; he thought he might actually prefer the painted jaig eyes to Rex’s strangely unreadable brown ones.  

In Rex’s quarters, Cody asked, “You pissed with m-”

“What? Nah, no, vod, I just don't know what to say.”

 

“What do you mean?” He asked uncertainly.

“Everyone thought you, Rougher, and Taunt had been killed… I mean, I knew you were alive since last week… but, ah, I dunno… seeing you now I just… I dunno.  It gives me that feeling like I can't breathe.  I dunno.  S’pose i'm just relieved?”

Cody almost scolded him, but remembered when Rex had been sniped on Saleucami.  Even hearing about it after the fact, his stomach had dropped and he'd felt a surge of distant panic.  This time, he and his squad had been out of contact for six Felucia rotations, which was almost a standard week. He reached over and slung an arm loosely around Rex's shoulders carefully, wanting to be close to him but not entirely certain as to how to handle that particular emotion in his friend. 

He was surprised by the sudden crush of Rex’s sturdy body and the clack of their armor meeting as the captain dragged him closer and held him tightly.

Cody was frequently uncertain about how he felt about the other CO, and how those feelings fit into who they were as soldiers.  The Kaminoans, even the Mandolorians who had supplemented their training from time to time, had never thought to teach them much about warmer emotions; there were the protective feelings you felt toward your team members, there were friendships, there were allies. That was it.  Unproductive-but-scintillating novels that their men had picked up and passed around the barracks talked about things like “love” and “lust,” but the words had never stuck in their violent, contextless world.  Cody’s own feelings had never seemed so grand as the holofilms they sometimes caught on planet-leave seemed to suggest they would be.

He figured that this was probably just something like  _ very intense _ friendship, teamwork times ten.  

“S’alright, mate, we’re okay. We made it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rex said, leaning his cheek against his.

The skin contact was grounding for both of them.  Rex took a deep breath, then pulled away entirely.  Avoiding Cody’s eyes now, he said, “Your lid looks fine, but your armor could use a touch up.  Your chestplate’s something else, and your knees look like shit.”

Cody laughed a little uneasily, wanting to move back into their usual routines.  He wanted Rex to fix up his paint while they talked, and then he wanted to touch him without armor or gloves.

“Well, that happens when you're on  _ active _ duty, captain.”

Rex snorted and rolled his eyes.  He made faces all the time, but most of the time his helmet kept him looking professional. 

Instead of waiting for Cody to hand him the pieces, Rex knelt down and started unclipping the other clone’s shin guards. 

“You're doing it out of order,” Cody laughed, surprised.

“This is what I want first and you're too slow,” Rex answered, favoring him with a smile that turned more crooked as he continued, “And your knees.  What were you  _ doing _ , commander?”

“There's a dirty joke there, I'm sure.”

“Better not be, I wasn't even in the same system.”

He slid his fingertips lightly up the inside of his friend’s calf, then set to unfastening the knee guards.  He methodically set them to the side, keeping the pieces neatly paired the way he would his own.  The gesture was unusually intimate; troopers always removed their own armor unless they were too injured.

“Seems you're on your knees now, captain,” Cody replied, trying to sound at ease.

“Give you any ideas, commander?”

Cody just laughed.

“A couple.”

Rex smirked, though he avoided Cody’s eyes as he moved up to his thighs, then his belt and detonator.  From there he moved smoothly to his feet, his chestpiece sliding against Cody’s as he stood.  He took his friend’s hand and unclipped his hand guard, then his bracers, elbow pad, upper arm armor, and shoulder bells.  Though they were face to face and he could feel Cody’s breath lightly against his cheek, he didn’t move any closer.  

He repeated the sequence on the other arm, continuing to methodically stack the pieces of armor on the edge of his bed.  As the armor was removed, Rex stroked his calloused hands over the exposed undersuit.  He could feel the lines of Cody’s body underneath as well as the raised scars on his skin and the slight differences in how their supposedly identical bodies had developed; he took a gentle, thorough inventory through touch to reassure himself that nothing significant had changed.

They lost clones so frequently and he knew that eventually, there would be a time when one of them would receive the news that the other had been killed; he knew that the were conditioned to recover and to keep moving forward without lingering too long or looking back.  Even so, he felt strangely melancholy as he undid the straps that secured his chestplate.

He moved downward again, past the abdominal and kidney plates until Cody stood before him barefoot wearing only his form-fitting blacks.  At that point, he realized suddenly how different this was from usual and how unprepared he felt for the way that Cody was looking at him.  He swallowed quickly, looking for a glib remark.

In the half-second when he inhaled to speak, Cody reached out and curled his hand across the back of Rex’s neck, then dragged him in close.  Cody leaned his forehead against his friend’s, closing his eyes so that they didn't have to look at each other.  Eye contact would have been too hard.

They stood there for a moment, stock still, breathing quickly, uncertainly.  Neither knew what to say, but both felt they should be the first to speak.  

“Thanks for deciding to show up,” Rex said forcefully, trying to be casual.

Cody let his breath out in a rush and laughed awkwardly, “Well, I knew you couldn't handle a war on your own.”

Rex smiled broadly, eyes still closed. 

“Those are fighting words.”

“Yeah, you going to do something about it?”

“Maybe.”

“You and what army?” Cody laughed, pulling back to hold him at an arm’s length, his dark eyebrows lifted.

“The 501st, obviously.”

“The 212th grossly outnumbers the 212th-”

“Well, the 501st grossly  _ outperforms _ the 212th.”

“You're a real mir’sheb, Captain.”

“And here I was going to tell you that you're my favorite, commander.”

The word clicked somehow, hitting Cody strangely right between his shoulder blades.  Favorite.   _ Favorite _ was a word that Cody liked, a very good word.  It seemed to fit the superlative feeling he felt for his friend as well.

“Yeah, I’d better be your favorite commander,” he laughed, feeling a pleasant warmth that made him grin involuntarily.  

Rex rolled his eyes, blushing faintly as he realized what he’d said, “You're my favorite,  _ comma, _ commander.”

“Commanders don't wear kama,” Cody teased, sliding his hands down to his armored backside, “Skirts are for ARC troopers.”

“I'm an ARC  _ captain. _ ”

“Yeah, and you're my favorite ARC captain.”

Rex’s stupid grin matched Cody’s as he shoved at his shoulder, “You don't even talk to any other ARC captains.”

“How about you're my favorite captain?”

Rex just raised his eyebrows.

“Fine, fine,” he said.  He laughed, though he seemed to turn suddenly shy as he offered, “How about you're… uh, just my favorite?”

“I like that, that works,” Rex agreed, his cheeks still slightly flushed at the admission. What had they just said, and why did it make him feel giddy and embarrassed all at once?  He wondered why this, of all things, would make his heart beat so hard when an advancing wall of battle droids hardly did a thing.  

“Good,” Cody replied with an awkward laugh.

Seemingly at random, he seemed to remember that Rex was still fully armored and he himself was comparatively naked… and more, that his friend had stripped him down during the most strangely intimate three minutes of his life.

He was again struck by not knowing what to do, or how to proceed.

“Ah… you, uh, gonna fix up my lines?”

“Yeah,” Rex said with a short, stilted laugh.  He leaned over and gave him a quick kiss, then stooped down to scoop up some of the pieces of discarded armor. “I’ve got it, mate.”

Looking Rex over as he settled at the desk and opened up a small flask of orange paint, Cody felt another surge of affection for his friend.  Not knowing if it was normal, he awkwardly quashed it as best as he could and cast about for normal conversation topics.   He wasn't sure if the things that they had just said were a big deal or not, but they felt momentous.  And unlike most of the big happenings in his short life, it made him unusually happy.  Smiling to himself and trying not to, he watched as Rex methodically filled a scratch in one of his rank stripes.

Rex glanced up at him, “Lothcat got your tongue?”

“Shut up and paint so I can get you out of your armor,” he replied, blushing slightly.

Rex grinned, “You always did like giving orders.”

“Last I checked you're pretty good at taking them.”

“Ha ha,  _ right _ .”

“Come on, captain, you can finish that later,” Cody said after a couple of impatient minutes, “Pay attention to me.”

Rex gave him a teasing smile, “You always this impatient?”

Cody rolled his eyes, then after a half-second’s consideration he said, “No, but today I am.  Get your armor off and get over here.  Move it, soldier.” 

The ARC captain snorted, but he rinsed the brush and set it aside.  He didn’t look at Cody, but he could feel him watching as he stood and began to rapidly strip off his armor.  Even in his haste, he still matched the pieces per protocol and stacked them tidily; he respected himself and his equipment far too much to mistreat it.   When he was down to his underarmor, he finally lifted his gaze to meet Cody’s.  He was surprised by the keen focus in his expression, the way he was looking at him as though there was nothing in the galaxy that he could have wanted more at that moment.  He felt flattered and and humbled, but he mostly felt wanted in a way that he hadn’t experienced before.

He settled into Cody’s lap readily, his cheeks already flushed.  His friend wrapped his arms around him and dragged him close, pulling him in to kiss him open-mouthed and eager.  The commander’s hands were all over him, possessively claiming him as though he belonged to him rather than the Republic.

Rex broke away for air, then grinned at his companion before stealing another kiss.  They were only separated by their blacks and it left little to the imagination when they were this close; Cody could feel every tensed muscle in Rex’s thighs and backside.  He moaned, hard almost immediately when his captain settled his weight forward just exactly right.  He slid his hands down his sides and grasped his ass to pull his hips flush with his own, grinding up against him obscenely.

He liked how Rex moaned into his kisses and how his strong body yielded under his hands.  He liked to rest his hand against the back of his neck to hold him in place while he kissed him until the other clone bit his lower lip in retribution and pulled away to breathe.  He liked how Rex followed the bite with a playful flick of his tongue, and how after a few minutes of just moving against each other, sometimes the captain’s breath would catch and his hips would jerk involuntarily.

“Stang, why do we always start this with clothes on…?” Rex complained breathlessly, finally sliding out of his lap so that he could tug at his neck seal.  

“I don’t know,” Cody admitted brightly, his breathing rough.  

He laughed, appreciating the sight of Rex’s tan, muscular body as his friend stripped out of his underarmor.  He quickly peeled himself out of his remaining clothes and tossed them aside, then bodily dragged the other officer into his arms.

The shock of bare skin was like a drug, heady and electric in the temperature controlled room.  Rex kissed Cody hotly, pulling him back down against the mattress.  He tucked his body up against his, flattening himself against his front as he demanded kisses and touches from his favorite.  With their hips fitted together perfectly, he thrust his cock smoothly against Cody’s; they both moaned in pleasured relief as they jousted the heads of their pricks together, letting them bump and slide against each other.

It was something that they’d done since they’d become friends in special training, just to relieve the kind of tension that most of the young men felt being constantly adrenalized.  The “cadet rub” was popular because it was easy, casual, and everybody had a good time - both could finish this way with no preparation and neither taking or giving more.  While they were usually content with a bit of kissing and wrestling, at the moment Cody wanted more.  

They continued to rub against each other, thrusting their hips in long, even movements as their breathing turned harsher and Rex began to make the quiet, impatient sounds that made Cody’s blood heat.

“Fancy a real kriff, vod?” Cody breathed.

“Thought you'd never ask,” Rex groaned, though the sound turned to a breathless laugh.  “Shooting or shielding?”

“Mm, shooting.  I like how you sound with a cock in you.”

Rex blushed from his chest up to the pale roots of his short hair. 

“Stang,” he breathed as he propped himself up onto one elbow to rummage in the drawer beside his bed.  Normally they’d bargain and tease over who was going to do what, but somehow it seemed like a waste of time.

He laid a tube of lube into Cody’s waiting hand, then started to move back.

“Nah, stay here,” Cody replied as he turned comfortably onto his back.  He slicked his first two fingers, then pulled his friend half-way onto him so that they were again face to face.  He had to shift him higher so he could get a good angle, but he reached around behind him and gently pressed his middle finger into him.

Rex’s breath caught at the welcome intrusion; he let it out slowly and leaned in to kiss Cody again.  He was a more vocal lover than his favorite, and within a few moments Cody had him moaning and grinding his hips against the hollow below Cody’s ribs.

“Easy, vod'ika,” Cody murmured, pulling him up against him tightly with every deep press of his calloused fingers.  He could feel the wetness of his friend’s neglected prick where it was smeared on his stomach.

“Come-come on, I'm ready,” Rex gasped against Cody’s jaw..

“I’m not… I like making you wait-- sss! Hey,” he hissed in pleasured pain as Rex bit his neck.  He gave his fingers a wicked twist within his friend, earning an answering moan.

He rolled their bodies, flattening Rex against the standard-issue mattress and kissing him hard.  The captain tilted his hips up as Cody withdrew his fingers and pushed the blunt, slick head of his cock up against him.   They both groaned as Cody eased forward, sliding into his warm, eager body with only the slightest resistance.  Rex closed his eyes, back arching as Cody opened him deeper and wider than he had with his fingers.

They moved together, slowly at first.  Cody had a knack for maintaining a perfect pace and rhythm; it wore Rex down steadily with its unrelenting regularity, and soon he was gasping on each thrust.  Cody moaned quietly, leaning his cheek against Rex’s.

He felt like he wanted to tell him something; there were things that seemed important, like how he was the only one Cody wanted to do this with, or how Rex’s voice was different - better -  than anyone else’s.  Feeling overwhelmed by his deep friendship, he nearly smothered the captain with kisses.

Rex could feel himself reaching the limits of his endurance, but he wasn't ready to give up the moment yet.  He pushed Cody back, then rolled their bodies so that he was straddling the commander’s waist.  Grinning tiredly down at him, he had control again of their pace and depth.  Without the friction of his cock sliding against Cody’s stomach, he was sure he could last longer.

Cody grinned back, wrapping his hands around Rex’s hips and pulling him down fully onto his cock.  Rex bit down on his lower lip to quiet a cry of pleasure as the change in angle allowed Cody to hit exactly the right spot.  Feeling smug and loving how Rex’s body gripped him, Cody repeated the gesture by rolling his hips up to meet Rex’s unsteady, enthusiastic movements.

“Look at me,” Cody told him breathlessly, his gaze flicking between Rex’s parted lips and his dark eyelashes.  For a moment he could barely breathe when Rex obeyed and he was suddenly staring into his friend’s eyes.

He thought he could see the same depth of emotion and the same uncertainty that he was feeling.  He held his gaze as he drove himself deep.  When Rex reached down to touch himself, he wrapped his hand around his friend’s and together they brought him over the edge.

He came into him a moment later as Rex, muscles tight and body trembling, continued to single-mindedly move against him.

They both stilled, spent.  After a moment, Rex lifted himself off of him with a shivering breath and flopped down beside him on the bunk.  Cody wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to kiss him affectionately.

Like earlier, neither knew what to say but both felt like there was something that needed to be shared between them.  This whole thing had been different, from the moment Rex had gone off-script in the hallway to when Cody had nearly choked on Rex’s name as he came.  There was a _way that things were done_ , at least for them, and this was certainly not it.  How could they ever say that, though?  Slightly shellshocked by the intensity of their feelings, they both stayed cuddled close and pretended that their quiet was just exhaustion.

“‘fresher?” Rex asked finally, rolling up onto his side so he could look down at his friend.  He reached over and skimmed his fingertip along the line of the nasty scar that ran beside his friend’s eye.

“Yeah, probably,” Cody agreed, subtly leaning into his touch.

Rex nodded, though he didn't move just yet.  He leaned down to kiss the corner of his eye, then curled up against his side again.

“You're giving me mixed messages, mate.”

“Decided I'm not ready to move yet,” he replied, arching his back as he stretched and then resettled his sturdy body.  He knew already that he would feel this tomorrow in his back and thighs.  

Cody smirked and snugged him up close, “Don't get too comfortable - you've still got some painting to do, Captain.”

Rex snorted, pressing his face into Cody’s shoulder.

“Yeah, and maybe you can use that time figuring out how to hide that mark I left on your neck.”

“Strange injuries happen in battle.”

“Yeah?  Getting bit by a lot of battle droids lately, commander?”

Cody laughed, closing his eyes as Rex pulled him into his arms and held him comfortably; a round with Rex wore him out more than running three training modules end to end.  They were sweaty and sticky, but he couldn't bring himself to even move.  He knew they'd have to soon, but for now it felt good to just enjoy this terrifying, unknown warmth that was still making him smile like a fool.  He sighed comfortably, rubbing his friend’s back.  

That's what they were, right?  

Friends?

**Author's Note:**

> When their units part ways again, few clones overhear Rex and Cody's goodbyes. They're delighted to pick up on the meaning when Rex bumps his knuckles against Cody's as he quietly reminds the commander that he's his favorite... and the term catches on as a way to talk about one's super special friend. Rex is, of course, mortified.


End file.
